Ponta Torres Weekend with the Grae's

Ironically a mere 1.5 hours by speedboat from Maputo you can arrive at paradise. It does require at least one other family to split (the ridiculously expensive) transport and lodging costs and you have to bring all your own supplies but it is there for the taking. And as one of our final weekend getaways we loved it. Maja and Asgar and their two boys are close friends of ours and Adi had a blast with 2 older kids to follow around. We kept our activities to a minimal with just beach soccer, sand castle building and playing in the pools and Dhow beach bar. We ate quite well and finished off the nice wine we brought out with us while soaking up some sun and sundowners. We had quite a bit of wind one day and the intense sun requires you to take mid-day shelter (ie a nap) before returning to the picture perfect sunset and plethora of activities if you brought your own equipment (snorkel, kit surfing, wind surfing, fishing, skiing) etc. It was Rea's first time in the pool and ocean and she loved it so we look forward to many more weekends poolside as the summer is arriving here and we have 5 weeks left to kill;-)

A Pirate and a Hippie

At the American compound, 2014 Halloween was in full swing over the weekend...

Cape Town Vacation of a Lifetime

Well, we finally made it to a different kind of paradise. Having attempted to come here well over a year ago for our anniversary but not being able to get a Visa for Pranvera, we finally pulled off a week+ family vacation. And now we know why Cape Town, South Africa is considered one of the top 10 tourist destinations on the planet. It has something for everyone at the convenience of any developed western country at the prices of an emerging market (except Moz ;-)

 We started off for 6 nights in the city with a fantastic rented apartment overlooking the entire city. Over 50 steps to get into the unit kept us on our toes for the holiday, walking most places during the day that our double decker city bus tour didn't. Did all the must sees including the Wharf, rerris wheel, fort, District 6 museum, Kirschenbosht gardens, Table Mountain, Two Oceans Aquarium and Robbin Island. All the site seeing fueled by fantastic meals, wonderful wine or craft beer and sunshine. Absolutely perfect weather! Pranvera and I even managed a sitter for one night to hit an adult restaurant and a couple bars afterward. Heading just around the headland put us in the pictureous Camps Bay with ice cold waters but perfect sand, sky, sun and food. A highlight was certainly the high atop Table Mountain (and the cable car ride for Adi).

Once we departed the city we headed down the peninsula to Boulder beach for the penguins, and a half day at Cape Point National Park with Cape of Good Hope. Pictures below say 1000 words and true to form Adi's highlights were the different modes of transportation which included a funicular ride to the top.

Our coastal adventures continued to Hermanes where we watched over 20 great white whales breaching while we enjoyed a fish and chips lunch at a seaside cafe. They sometimes came in so close to shore you could almost touch them. A magnificent experience from the safety of the rocks.

And a trip to South Africa is not complete without time in Fraenschoek and Stellenbosch where we stayed at top quality B&B's and took the wine tram throughout the vineyards. Both Adi and Rea were great travelers and we feel so blessed to have been finally able to experience one of the highlights South Africa (the region) has to offer before our departure in only 6 weeks.